Sports surface training article

ABSTRACT

A collapsible, multi-legged, multi-faceted sports training article comprising a plurality of legs, each of the legs having an upper portion and a lower portion; an equal number of elongate transverse arms, each of the arms having a first end portion and a second end portion; wherein each of the first end portions are retained adjacent the lower portion of the legs; and maintenance means cooperable with the arms to maintain the article erect and to define the article having a plurality of inclined substantially triangular faces. The article represents a more realistic sports training pylon of a practical size which better simulates a real-life playing situation, particularly for use on ice-rinks, and field hockey and soccer playing fields. The article has a typically height selected from 50-120 cm and is readily collapsible for ease of transportation, storage and readily re-erectable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to articles for use on a sports playing surface, particularly ice hockey rinks and sports fields for soccer and field hockey, for training purposes.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Articles such as “obstruction” pylons, triangles, cones and related objects are placed on ice hockey rink surfaces and sports playing fields to provide objects that players in practice need to efficiently circumvent to enhance their skills of puck or ball control. The object to be “out-flanked” is meant to simulate an opposing player. Most often, several such pylons, and the like are strategically placed to provide the player in training with enhanced challenges to teach interweaving with puck or ball control. Examples of prior art training articles are generally formed of a plastics material.

However, invariably, the prior art obstruction articles are of a small height, typically of 10-40 cm, and not wide relative to a real-life player opposing the training player. As such, this does not provide a realistic “stick-handling” hockey or soccer game situation, since players, including children, are at least 1 m tall.

One reason that larger articles are not used is probably because larger fixed-sized articles would cause problems of transportation to and from the practice area.

There is, therefore, a need for a sports training article that minimizes the aforesaid disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a sports training article of a practical size which better simulates a real-life game playing situation, particularly for use on ice hockey rinks, and field hockey and soccer fields.

It is a further object to provide a said article which is intentionally collapsible for ease of transportation.

Accordingly, in its broadest aspect, the invention is a collapsible, multi-legged, multi-faceted sports training article comprising

-   -   (a) a plurality of legs;     -   (b) an equal number of elongate transverse arms, each of said         arms having a first end portion and a second end portion;         wherein said first end portions are retained adjacent said legs;         and     -   (c) maintenance means cooperable with said arms to maintain said         article erect and to define said article to have a plurality of         inclined, substantially triangular faces, and wherein said         maintenance means allows said article to be collapsed and         re-erected when desired.

Preferably, a collapsible, multi-legged, multi-faceted sports training article as hereinabove defined comprises

-   -   (a) a plurality of legs, each of said legs having an upper         portion and a lower portion;     -   (b) an equal number of elongate transverse arms, each of said         arms having a first end portion and a second end portion;         wherein each of said first end portions are retained adjacent         said lower portion of said legs; and     -   (c) maintenance means cooperable with said arms to maintain said         article erect and to define said article to have a plurality of         inclined substantially triangular faces.

Although the articles may be considered as umbrella-like in construction, the most preferred embodiments do not have an upstanding central handle.

Preferably, the article has three legs and three transverse arms which defines a tetrahedron having three flat triangular inclined faces and a triangular base face.

More preferably, the tetrahedron is regular and all four faces are identical equilateral triangles.

In an alternative, preferred embodiment the article as hereinabove defined comprising four legs and four transverse arms which defines a pyramid having a regular polygon base defining a base face and four flat triangular inclined faces.

Although the legs of the articles as hereinabove defined may extend to the apex, the invention includes embodiments terminating in a frustum.

The arms most preferably are pivotable about the lower portion of the legs.

In a most preferred embodiment, an article as hereinabove defined comprises said maintenance means having a central retention member within said article and receives each of said second end portions of said transverse arms to provide a horizontal, coplanar, transverse arms arrangement.

The retention member is preferably moveable along the vertical axis within the article, whereby movement towards the apex causes collapse of the article whereas movement away enables the article to be erected. In alternative embodiments, the vertical movements effecting erection or collapsing of the article are in the opposite directions.

Preferable, the retention member comprises a plurality of body portions, each of which body portions defines a passage which receives a said second end portion of a transverse arm in pivotal engagement with the body portion, whereby the vertical movement of the retention member effects pivotal movement of the transverse arms within the passages out of the coplanar arrangement and adjacent the lower portions of the legs and cause collapse of the article from an erect mode.

In further alternative preferred embodiments, the maintenance means comprises a removable transverse arm embracing member adapted to operably engage and maintain said second end portions of a pair of transverse arms in co-linear arrangement as to form and maintain the article erection.

Preferably, the embracing member comprises a tube having a first aperture through which a second end portion enters said tube, and a second aperture through which another second end portion enters said tube to effect said co-linear arrangement.

Most preferably, the article as hereinabove defined has at least one of said inclined faces covered in whole or in part with a covering material. Typically, covering materials for example are natural or synthetic materials, for example, cotton, hemp, nylon, polyester, polyamide, polyethylene and polypropylene.

In preferred embodiments wherein the inclined faces are covered with material, at least one, preferably, all of the faces have a lower curved edge defining an arch.

In further preferred embodiments, the article has a plurality of weighting pouches, generally affixed adjacent a bottom portion of one or more legs.

The collapsible article as hereinabove defined may be of any suitable height, typically selected from 20-200 cm, preferably, 40-100 cm. The width may also be of any desired size commensurate with stability.

For ease of convenience, the article as hereinabove defined further comprises in combination a hockey stick affixed thereto by any suitable means, for example, VELCRO™ self-adhesive material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention may be better understood, preferred embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatical perspective view of one embodiment of a training article according to the invention in an erected position;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrammatic perspective views of alternative embodiments erect training articles according to the invention;

FIG. 4 is a geometric representation of a frustum;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view, in part, illustrating upward or inward movements of members during collapse of the article according to the invention; and wherein the same numerals denote like parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to FIG. 1, this shows generally as 10, an article in its erected mode having three legs 12, each having an upper portion 14 and a lower portion 16. Upper portions 14 are held adjacent each other by a fabric VELCRO™ self-adhesive tape 18 material to form a frustum 20.

Between each of legs 12 is an elongate transverse arm 22 which provides article 10 with a coplanar arms arrangement which separates legs 12 uniformly as to define a regular tetrahedron. Arms 22 of dissimilar lengths would cause article 10 to define a non-regular tetrahedron. Arms 22 are retained adjacent lower portions 16 by fabric sleeves 24. Also adjacent lower portions 16 are weighting pouches 26 formed of polypropylene containing, typically, a bag of sand 28 or like material.

Each transverse arm 22 consists of a first distant member 30 and a second distant member 32 having end portions 34 co-aligned in end abutment. Tube 28 loosely embraces end portions 28 to enable ease of removal of portion 28, therefrom, when desired.

Article 10 is assembled from legs 12, tape 18 and arms 22 placed in sleeves 24, prior to tube 36 fitting over end portions 34, which subsequently receives end portions 34 under initial hand-fitting pressure. Thus, erected article 10 defines a regular tetrahedron having three inclined faces 38 and a horizontal base face 40 denoted by ghost lines.

Article 10 can be dismantled by outwardly tugging of members 30 to prise end portions 34 apart out of tube 36, to cause structure 10 to collapse to a linear bundle for ease of transportation.

The height of article 10 is selected to offer a more realistic training obstacle to simulate a hockey player in a stick handling game situation. The preferred article 10

With reference to FIG. 2, this shows generally as 50, a regular tetrahedron structure as shown in FIG. 1, but having an alternative transverse arm and dismantling arrangement. FIG. 2 shows a coplanar arm arrangement having three arms 52 of equal length directed central of article 50 and retained thereat by a central disc-like member 54.

In more detail, arm 52 has an outer terminal portion 56, affixed adjacent lower portion 16 of leg 12, an inner terminal portion 58 received and retained by central member 54 as follows. Member 54 has a trio of a pair of upstanding longitudinal walls 60 defining a channel 62 therebetween which receives and pivotally retains arm terminal portion 58 by pivot 64. In the article erect mode, arms 52 and central member 54 are horizontally coplanar and are so sized as to maintain legs 12 equispaced and erect. In consequence that arms 52 are pivotable about pivots 64 and adjacent leg portion 16, manually pushing central member 54 vertically upwardly in the direction of apex 66 of article 50, causes legs 12 to fold inwardly and the article to collapse. Erection of article 50 is easily achieved by manually pulling central member 54 away from apex 66 until coplanarity of arms 52 is attained and self-sustaining stability restored to article 50 as a free-upstanding article.

In alternative embodiments, inclined faces 38 of FIGS. 1 and 2 may be covered in whole or in part with a suitable covering material such as natural or synthetic cloth, for example, canvas, cotton or polypropylene.

FIG. 3 shows generally as 70 an embodiment as shown in FIG. 2 having faces 38 covered with nylon cloth 72 which is shaped to provide lower arches 58.

FIG. 3 also shows a hockey stick 74 in ghost lines attachable to VELCRO™ self-adhering tape loops 76 to constitute a sports training set.

FIG. 4 shows generally as the framework for a four legged frustum article incorporating a coplanar central member/arms 82 arrangement analogous to that described in FIG. 2, having legs 84 and four arms 86.

For the purpose of clarification, a frustum is what remains of a pyramid (or cone) after truncation along a plane parallel to the base—as exemplified in FIG. 4.

With reference to FIG. 5, manual pushing of member 82 upwardly within article 50 or 80 causes inward movement of arms 12, 84 for members 86 to lock in co-planar arrangement and collapse. Manually, pulling member 82 downwardly erects the article.

In a further aspect, the invention provides an article as hereinabove defined as a sports training set comprising in combination an article as hereinabove in releasable attachment to a hockey stick.

Although this disclosure has described and illustrated certain preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to those particular embodiments. Rather, the invention includes all embodiments which are functional or mechanical equivalents of the specific embodiments and features that have been described and illustrated. 

1. A collapsible, multi-legged, multi-faceted sports training article comprising (a) a plurality of legs; (b) an equal number of elongate transverse arms, each of said arms having a first end portion and a second end portion; wherein said first end portions are retained adjacent said legs; and (c) maintenance means cooperable with said arms to maintain said article erect and to define said article to have a plurality of inclined, substantially triangular faces, and wherein said maintenance means allows said article to be manually collapsed and re-erected when desired.
 2. A collapsible, multi-legged, multi-faceted sports training article as defined in claim 1 comprising (a) a plurality of legs, each of said legs having an upper portion and a lower portion; (b) an equal number of elongate transverse arms, each of said arms having a first end portion and a second end portion; wherein each of said first end portions are retained adjacent said lower portion of said legs; and (c) maintenance means cooperable with said arms to maintain said article erect and having a plurality of inclined substantially triangular faces.
 3. An article as defined in claim 1 comprising three legs and three transverse arms which define a tetrahedron having three flat triangular inclined faces and a triangular base face.
 4. An article as defined in claim 3, wherein said tetrahedron is regular and all four faces are identical equilateral triangles.
 5. An article as defined in claim 1 comprising four legs and four transverse arms which defines a pyramid having a regular polygon base face and four flat triangular inclined faces.
 6. An article as defined in claim 5 wherein said pyramid is a right pyramid and has an apex located centrally above the base.
 7. An article as defined in claim 1 comprising a pyramidal frustum.
 8. An article as defined in claim 1 wherein said transverse arms are operably pivotable about said legs.
 9. An article as defined in claim 1 wherein said maintenance means comprises a central retention member within said article and receives each of said second end portions of said transverse arms to provide a horizontal coplanar transverse arms arrangement.
 10. An article as defined in claim 9 wherein said retention member is moveable along the vertical axis within said structure.
 11. An article as defined in claim 9 wherein said retention member comprises a plurality of body portions, each of which body portions defines a passage which receives a said second end portion of a said transverse arm in pivotal engagement with said body portion, whereby said vertical movement of said retention member effects pivotal movement of said transverse arms within said passages out of said coplanar arrangement and adjacent said lower portions of said legs to cause collapse of said structure from an erect posture.
 12. An article as defined in claim 1 wherein said maintenance means comprises a removable transverse arm embracing member adapted to operably engage and maintain said second end portions of a pair of transverse arms in co-linear arrangement as to form and maintain said article erect.
 13. An article as defined in claim 12 wherein said embracing member comprises a tube having a first aperture through which a second end portion enters said tube, and a second aperture through which another second end portion enters said tube to effect said co-linear arrangement.
 14. An article as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of said inclined faces is covered in whole or in part with a covering material.
 15. An article as defined in claim 14 wherein all of said inclined faces are covered with said covering material.
 16. An article as defined in claim 14 wherein said covering material is a natural or synthetic fabric.
 17. An article as defined in claim 16 wherein said synthetic fabric is selected from nylon, polyester, polyamide, polyethylene and polypropylene, cotton and hemp.
 18. An article as defined in claim 14 wherein at least one of said inclined faces has a lower curved edge defining an arch.
 19. An article as defined in claim 18 wherein each of said inclined faces has a lower edge defining said arch.
 20. An article as defined in claim 1 having a plurality of weighting pouches.
 21. An article as defined in claim 20 wherein each of said legs has a bottom portion adjacent said weighting pouches.
 22. An article as defined in claim 1 having a height selected from 20-200 cm in its erect mode.
 23. An article as defined in claim 22 having a height selected from 50-120 cm.
 24. A sports training set comprising in combination an article as defined in claim 1 in releasable attachment to a hockey stick. 